Deformed Wing Virus... An Affliction of Honey Bees
Deformed Wing Virus
A close look at deformed
wing virus revealed the
following: 1. DWV is not a rapid
colony killer. It can be
detected in bees where no signs
of disease are noticed. 2.
Adult bees can carry the virus
and not die. 3. Mites transmit
the virus to pupae and nurse
bees. 4. If the host bee shows
deformed wings, any mite feeding
on that pupa is viruliferous.
But a mite feeding on an
asymptomatic, DWF infected host
does not necessarily pick up the
virus. Also, infected mites do
not always transmit the virus.
Acute Paralysis Virus
We usually blame colony
collapse on deformed wing virus
when Varroa mites are involved.
But, a study conducted in Poland
determined that DWV was nowhere
to be found, while colonies died
in large numbers. Samples of
dead bees, sent to England for
analysis, revealed that the bees
had very high titers of acute
paralysis virus.
There was some APV found in
late summer colonies that showed
no signs of disease,
